


Steel Heart

by lilserket



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst, Childhood Death, M/M, Robots, not a completely sad ending, robot death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-16
Updated: 2016-06-16
Packaged: 2018-07-15 11:28:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7220518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilserket/pseuds/lilserket
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Living with a steel heart was so cruel</p>
            </blockquote>





	Steel Heart

**Author's Note:**

> Just a small drabble for kuroken month.

"I can't believe they actually let you bring that project from high school with you to college, really I thought you would just give up," Bokuto stared at the half built robot being held up by a make shift stand.

"Hell no, I've put too much time and money into making him and the college said they were going to help fund me completing him," Kuroo's voice rang through the empty workshop as he laid out blueprints. "Don't you have a date with Akaashi to be getting to?" he asked as a sheet of paper fell to the floor. He reached down and grabbed it as his friend picked up one of the papers.

"Not until later, are you going to start working on it now? We literally just got to college," the silver haired whined as the paper got taken from his hands.

"What else would I do, Bo?"

"Man, I don't know? Go find a boyfriend or girlfriend or something, talk to people," Bokuto moved his hands behind his head walking back to the unfinished robot. "Didn't you already name this thing too?"

"He's not going to be just a thing, he's going to be almost human when I'm done with him," Kuroo snapped defending the robot as he pinned the pages to a cork board clearing the table. "His name is Kenma," he muttered not bothering to look at his best friend.

"Kenma? Isn't that."

"Go on your date, Bokuto!"

Bokuto snapped his mouth shut as he walked over to the table grabbing his bag. "Sorry," he apologize before running off.

Kuroo sighed shaking his head as he gathered his tools, the silence in the room making him slightly uncomfortable. Kenma was the name of his childhood friend who had drowned while trying to save an animal in a rough watered river.

He frowned remembering his parents telling him of Kenma's passing. He didn't talk for weeks, he didn't play with others for months. In high school he had met high school sweethearts Bokuto and Akaashi who then became his best friends while he started making the robot.

If it weren't for them he wouldn't be this far along making his childhood friend come to life.

* * *

 

A full year had passed and Kuroo was looking at the finished robotic skeleton in front of him awaiting to have synthetic skin put on and eyes attached.

"What can we do to help?" Akaashi asked looking at the flesh tone unraveled on the ground.

"I need to cut out the pieces to fit around the skeleton, and the wig needs to be made and eyes put in place," Kuroo told him pointing at the wig fibers on the table as well as a set of eyes. "Bo can you wire in the eyes while I cut the flesh and Akaashi can you work on the wig?" he asked his friends as he sat on the ground with a pencil and ruler.

* * *

 

It took them five months later until the the flesh was attached without any bumps in it, the eyes covered with eyelids and wig finally glued on.

"Just needs to be airbrushed now," Kuroo breathed out watching his creation come to life.

"Shouldn't we turn it on just to make sure it works?" Bokuto asked as the younger shook his head.

"I want it to be a first shot thing, I'll work out everything else later," he told them as he mixed paint colors before hooking it up to an air brush. "The emotions will be placed in, in due time, and the voice bank," he added walking over to the robot, making sure the wig was pinned up before he started on shading and contouring the flesh to make it more human like.

* * *

 

It took him a week to finally be happy with how the paint job turned out.

"It's time," Kuroo breathed out as he tapped on the computer, connecting it to the robot's main brain.

"You got this," Bokuto cheered as he leaned against Akaashi as they stared at the robot in front of them.

"3" Kuroo started counting down.

"2"

"1"

He pressed the on button from the computer before turning around as beeping noises came from the robot, the fan booting up. He sat there with his bottom lip between his teeth, waiting.

It took five minutes before the robot's eyes snapped open, lights shining behind the golden colored eyes.

"Kenma," Kuroo breathed out getting up from his chair, slowly making his way to the robot. He reached up, taking the pins out of the black and blond wig letting it fall around it's face. He stared into the robots eyes as he placed a hand on it's cheek.

"It's just a shell right?" Akaashi asked stepping up to the robot waving his hand in front of it's eyes.

"Yes, until I put emotions in it and a voice bank, it's nothing but a shell," he told them walking back to the computer, powering down the robot. A wide smile appeared on his face. "I can't believe it, years of building it and it's finally almost done, the final stretch."

"We should go celebrate," Bokuto suggested, smiling wide as the others agreed.

* * *

 

"First test with emotion card and voice bank," Kuroo smiled towards the camera before getting out of its view of the robot. He hurried over to the computer pressing the power button before watching the robot.

His smile widened as the robot slowly opened it's glowing eyes, lifting his head up. "Kenma," he called out as the robot looked around before landing back on him.

"Kuroo," the robotic's voice called out his name eyes flashing, reading the human in front of him.

"Finally, I did it," Kuroo whispered as the robot looked around again, he could hear the fans pick up, meaning he was taking in the area. "I'm going to release you from the stand," he told the robot pressing a switch as the arms of the stand released the electronic being.

Kenma watched as the arms released him from his confinements before taking a step out off of the platform, reading his movements too not fall down. The robot looked back at Kuroo, walking to him. "My name is Kenma. I am an electronic human being of your creation."

"I know," Kuroo laughed clapping his hands together excitedly. "Describe yourself to me," he ordered the robot watching as the lights flickered.

"I am a quiet bot, what is smart, and curious," the robot spoke blinking slowly.

"Do you know what romance is?"

"I do not understand the question being asked."

"What about fun?"

"I do not understand the question being asked."

"Sadness?"

"I am a robot not a human."

"Wow, sassy," Kuroo grinned moving away from the robot in order to grab clothes from his bag. "Raise your right arm," he commanded watching the joints through the skin. It looked almost normal, nothing sharp poking through. "Perfect."

"I am designed to be as perfect as you made me," Kenma told him in a monotone voice. He watched as the human brought him clothes to wear.

"Arms up," the human commanded as the robot rose it's arms allowing him to pull the shirt over it's head and through the arm holes. "Now, one foot up," he ordered as he pulled the pants up before taking a step back.

The robot looked down at the clothes he was wearing, slowly his hands moved to feel the clothing.

"What do they feel like?" Kuroo asked as the robot shook its head.

"Nothing."

"Maybe later on I can make you feel objects. Now I need to work on your emotions, so you can feel them, but that will be for another day," he hummed, turning on the robots power source before shutting the computer down.

"Am I staying here?" Kenma asked before sunglasses were placed over his eyes.

"Nope, you're coming home with me, then we'll return another time, but I have classes to attend to in the next couple of days," he told the robot, grabbing on to its arm leading it out of the workshop.

"I see."

"You're lying."

"What is lying?"

"When you say something what isn't true," Kuroo walked slow, keeping his hand tight around the robots wrist when they were in a more crowded place.

"I lied," Kenma spoke looking around at the other humans reading their info as they walked

"I know that," the human responded walking over to where the college apartments were.

* * *

 

Kenma didn't understand anything. When Kuroo would come home from a class with anger and frustration in his eyes, he wouldn't understand. When water he scanned called tears fell from his eyes he didn't understand why. When Kuroo would scream at him. He didn't understand why.

What was it like to feel anger. What was it like to have water fall from your eyes. Kenma would never know. Human emotions were interesting. He wanted to learn more. What was anger. What was happiness. What was romance. What was emotions.

His eyes focused on the TV remote on the coffee table. Kuroo would use it to turn on the television. Maybe he could learn something from it. He walked over to the couch sitting down just how Kuroo would do before picking up the remote, turning the TV on.

He flipped through the channels before stopping on some channel. Blood. These humans were bleeding. Did they hurt. How hurt were they. He continued to watch as a girl screamed while holding the bleeding body.

He moved pressing the button on the remote to flip to another channel.

* * *

 

Kuroo didn't expect to open the door to Kenma charging at him. Hands tightly in his shirt, robot eyes glowing straight up into his human eyes.

"You're frustrated," the words rolled out of Kenma's mouth.

"What?" the human stood dumbfounded as his robot stared at him with almost a determined look. "Why do you think I'm frustrated?" he asked taken back from the sudden word.

"When you come back, you are normally frustrated."

Kuroo blinked before laughing as he placed a hand on top of the robots head messing up the hair. "But I'm not frustrated today...why are you so worried? You shouldn't understand these things," he chuckled noticing a new look in the robots face.

"I'm learning," the robot spoke eyes narrowing. "I'm learning, the TV is showing me emotions."

"But you don't have a card for emotions yet?" Kuroo frowned now noticing the TV was on.

"I don't need a card to learn. I can put it in my system," Kenma remarked looking back at the TV. "You come home and you cry. Are you hurting?"

"I told you, today I'm not," the human frowned before sighing, the robot did say he was curious back when he gave him a voice bank.

* * *

 

Today was different for Kenma, he had been curious of emotions. People hugged when they were sad. Sometimes they would press their mouths together. Sometimes they would press their mouths together when happy.

He turned when the door slammed shut, Kuroo was muttering curses as he through his bag against the wall. "Kuroo," he stood up from the couch stopping when he received a look of anger.

"Don't. I don't need your shit today," Kuroo hissed marching to his room, slamming the door shut.

Kenma tilted his head before walking to the door. He didn't understand. Of course he didn't. He opened the door seeing Kuroo sitting at his desk.

"Get out," Kuroo ordered upon hearing the door open. He scribbled words on a piece of paper. He jumped as a pair of arms wrapped around him. "What are you doing?" he asked annoyance in his voice.

"People hug when they are upset," Kenma told him as he tightened his grip before pressing his robotic lips on to of the humans head. "They also press their lips together."

"You're unbelievable, you know? Too smart for me," Kuroo sighed though, he would be lying if he said he wasn't amused by the robot learning these sorts of things. "You're not kissing my lips though," he turned around gripping the robots face before leaning up, pressing their lips together before pulling back staring at the robots emotionless face.

"I see," Kenma reached up touching his lips before standing up. "I can't feel anything," he commented turning away to walk out of the room.

Kuroo frowned watching the robot leave his room.

* * *

 

Kenma stared outside, he watched as a storm rolled in. He wanted to feel. He wanted to feel pain. He wanted to feel heat and coldness. He wanted to feel objects.

He waited for Kuroo to fall asleep before walking to the apartment door. There had to been something he could do. To feel something.

He walked out quietly. Walking to the steps. He walked and walked until the storm was above him, rain falling on his fake skin. He couldn't feel it. No matter where it fell. He couldn't feel it.

His eyes glowed in the night sky as he walked down the road. He could hear people laugh in the distance down a dark path. He could hear people talking as they walked down the other side of the road.

Kenma made his way over to the bridge they would drive over to go to college. He looked down at the rapid waters. His eyes scanned the water as he leaned over the edge, he saw fish swimming with and against the current. Wasn't that tiring? He didn't know.

He leaned over more before a hard gust of wind caused him to loose his balance, flipping over the bridge. If he fell it would be okay. His skin was water proof, he wouldn't feel a thing.

His eyes lit up as he let go of the bridge falling into the rapid waters. He stared up at the lights above him as he sunk further into the water. He felt a shock go through him. He shouldn't be able to feel. He shouldn't be able to feel pain.

Kenma lifted his hand up noticing a gash of cut through skin from where he held on to the bridge. He could feel water entering his circuits as his body began to shock itself, electricity going through the water.

_"Warning. Warning. Warning"_

The robotic voice was muffled in the water as his circuits began to blow. He lifted his hand up towards the sky.

 

Life with a steel heart was so cruel.

 

* * *

 

"You're not going to make a new robot?" Bokuto asked it had been a month since Kenma had fallen into the waters of the lake. His friend didn't take the news well after loosing Kenma twice to the rough waters.

"No. It's not something I want to experience again. I could never get him to look happy. He was too curious of the real world with emotions, things I couldn't give him. In the end I don't think he was hurting from not being able to tell," Kuroo sighed looking over at the metal heart he had recovered from the lake, now sitting in a shadow box on his wall.

"I was going to pull the plug in a few weeks anyways."

**Author's Note:**

> lilserket.tumblr.com


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